Tips to Boost Muscle Recovery

When you hit the gym hard and max out your muscles on leg, arm, or core day, micro-tears in your muscles can occur. These are a normal part of building muscle. It’s essential to rest to facilitate muscle recovery. The key to this short-term rehabilitation is rest. But there are other steps you can take to recover faster and get back for your next weightlifting session.

Hydrate More

Your muscles contain 79% of water. One of the leading causes of poor recovery is dehydration. It also reduces strength, slows down blood flow, and can leave you weak and uncoordinated instead of ready to hit the weights again. Water gets the blood pumping, prevents cramping, and makes your muscles feel amazing so you can get back to training.

Rest and Get Plenty of Sleep

Your body handles most repairs and wellness resets while you sleep, which is why you may want to skip the gym on weekend evenings if you plan on hitting the town with friends. The weightlifting session may leave you feeling pumped, but your muscles need the rest. Overdoing it after a tough lifting session can set you back instead of pushing your game forward.  

Get the Proper Nutrition

Feeding your body the right food can improve and speed up your muscle recovery time. Make sure to add plenty of protein to your diet following your weightlifting session to aid in muscle repair and encourage new muscle growth. For the best results, researchers suggest eating a high-protein snack before bed. Follow it up with a high-protein breakfast to reduce food cravings throughout your day.

Schedule a Massage

A massage has many benefits, including improving your body’s recovery from a strenuous day or two at the gym. Research shows a simple 10-minute Swedish massage can increase blood flow and reduce post-workout muscle inflammation. It may also help increase your body’s recuperation. In comparison, traditional options, such as ice baths and popping NSAIDs can block repair and new growth.

Stretch, Stretch, Stretch

hether or not you’re working on rehabbing, stretching should be an everyday part of your wellness routine. To stretch or not to stretch shouldn’t be a question. These exercises help keep you flexible and prevent stiffness, which is common with sore muscles and joints. Tense muscles put you at high risk for an injury that could sideline you for months. Along with stretching during your recuperation time, don’t skip the stretches following a lifting session. A few 30-second moves can reduce energy and help reduce tightness and increase blood flow. 

Boost your muscle recovery and increase your muscle mass with proper recovery techniques. Get plenty of rest, hydrate, increase your protein intake, and stretch daily. To reduce stress, improve sleep, and increase muscle growth, add a massage to your post-workout rehabilitation routine.